1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an image playback apparatus, and relates in particular to an image playback apparatus that outputs an image recorded with a wide dynamic range to a display device, printer, or the like, to reproduce that image.
2. Description of Related Art
Images picked up with appropriate exposure by means of a solid-state imaging element used in digital cameras, etc., may still leave something to be desired in terms of image quality when compared with silver-salt photographs. This is because the dynamic range of a solid-state imaging element is extremely narrow compared with that of a general silver-salt photography camera, with the result that, depending on the photographic conditions, a digital camera may produce blackening or whitening, greatly reducing the image quality. Recently, however, the development of elements allowing wide-dynamic-range imaging has become possible, and in line with this, it can be considered that there will a need in the future for an apparatus to reproduce recorded items picked up with a wide dynamic range.
Regarding documentation relating to this kind of technology, an apparatus that records information picked up with a wide dynamic range as the optimum exposure using a certain algorithm is described in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 11-69179. Also, in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 6-83430, a playback apparatus is proposed that enables the exposure level desired by the photographer to be reproduced at all times by adding to the image signal a signal that controls its exposure level.
However, with the apparatus in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 11-69179, as it is possible that the appropriate exposure conditions obtained by means of the above described algorithm may not be optimum for the photographer, the system is a recording/playback system that records images under a number of exposure conditions and has the photographer select the best exposure from among these.
Further, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 6-83430 is also for an apparatus that reproduces the exposure level desired by the photographer, and it is not possible to reflect the wishes of the viewer viewing the playback image. Thus, the apparatuses and systems in previous proposals only reflect the wishes of the photographer, and lack provision for realizing playback of an image desired by the viewer.